Confronting politics in the workplace.
Hello everyone,
I am a Nichiren Buddhism practitioner as well as an IT consultant who works in NYC. I have been currently working on an high profile project for the City for approx 10 months and the project is projected to be over in less than 2 months.
I am working with approx.one dozen other consultants on this project, some of which have the same set of skills and responsibilities as myself. Because of the current job market and the fact that the project is shortly coming to an end you can imagine the back biting taking place, as well as everyone grabbing up as many hours as they can before the train runs its course.
I have been placed on this project by the Lead Project Manager who is also my best friend. This person allocates the amount of hours slotted for each individual; of course this is causing resentment by some individuals for more hours as well as criticism as to how he is running the project.
To make a long story short, I have a few people coming to me expressing their dislike for him and the fact that they plan to go over his head about the way he is running the show. As a Buddhist, I certainly don't want to get caught up in the he said, she said. I feel torn between betraying the trust placed in me from the people expressing their dislike for the boss, but I also feel the need to let the boss-friend know what is going on because this information will potentially damage his career if it goes to the higher ups.
I also see people trying to take credit for others work as well as trying to take their hours. It is such a dog eat dog out there and is very uncomfortable to see on a daily basis. I feel the need to do something and defend the people who are being taken advantage of.
Before I became a Buddhist, there would be know question what I would do. I would just go to my friend and let him know that he needs to watch his back. I would also aggressively confront any individual who I felt was doing to the wrong thing.
So my question is, what do you think is right way to handle these situations.
5 comments
You're in a tough spot. I'm curious about something, though, that might seem beside the point....You said that before you became a Buddhist, you would have told your friend to watch his back, and would have confronted people you felt were doing the wrong thing, which I assume includes those who are taking advantage of others.Why, as a Buddhist, does that course of action seem unacceptable to you now?Why can't you take your friend aside and explain your perception of the perilous workplace dynamic? I think you can do this without being snitchy or complaining.On the other hand, a dysfunctional workplace is extremely difficult for anyone in a non-supervisory role to correct. You can make sure that your own behavior is above reproach, but there's very little you can do about anyone else.
Nichiren's friend and disciple, Shijo Kingo, has long been the Buddhist patron saint of the dysfunctional workplace. From a difficult "boss" to backbiting "coworkers," Shijo Kingo dealt with it all. Nichiren offered advice in several letters to his disciple. I suggest Three Kinds of Treasure and Strategy of the Lotus Sutra.
deardenver,As a Buddhist I have really tried to not get angry and caught up in the office gossip, I have also tried to be a trustworthy colleague.The colleagues that are coming to me complaining about the boss are trusting me when they are approaching me with this information. I feel like I am in a pickle because I don't want to betray these people by going to my friend and let him know what they are saying. The boss-friend will want to know who exactly is making these comments which will place me in the middle.I guess I took this situation as a type of gossip which I thought was something we should avoid.
COS, your views make sense to me. Unfortunately, you have already been drawn into the web of gossip. Listening to it is perhaps not as bad as spreading it, but you are involved.From now on, when people come to you with their complaints, maybe you can tell them firmly that you no longer want to be involved in office gossip, you just want to focus on getting the project done right. If you're going to abstain from gossip, don't encourage anyone to gossip by offering to listen. By saying no, maybe others will take note of your example and examine their own behavior.You might suggest that they tell the supervisor about their concerns directly before trying to go over his head. The big boss will probably ask "What did the supervisor say when you told him your concerns?" If they don't have an honest answer, it will look much worse for them than for the supervisor.Mostly, I would say that you are on the right track. You are not so caught up in the situation that you're willing to compromise your integrity. I have known many people who have destroyed friendships and good working relationships because of office politics. They just get so wrapped up in the perceived injustice of the moment that they think it's OK to slander others and even try to destroy someone's career.
I think I would probably tell my friend, the LPM, what people were saying to me about them without saying who said what, and then I'd let it all go it's own merry way.I don't really see where buddhism has all that much to do with it because I would do the same thing the same thing as a catholic, a hare krishna, or an atheist. I simply don't think someone can complain to me about something at work and expect me to act like I'm sworn to secrecy. I'm not.